Let's Get Ramblin'
by justtosaygoodbye
Summary: From Dusk Till Dawn AU in which the Dixon brothers are thieves on the run who disrupt the Greene family vacation.
1. Chapter 1

The Greene family was doing their best to hold on, their matriarch, the glue that held them together, now lost to them due to something as common as an automobile accident. That was the point of their current road trip, family bonding, getting away in general, at least that's what their father had told them.

Maggie sat at the back of the RV, an acoustic guitar in her lap, idly plucking at the strings, blissfully unaware of the turmoil raging in her sister. Beth lightly clutched the silver cross she wore around her neck as she watched the desert fly by them from the window, thinking about the conversation she'd had with their father earlier that day.

Hershel Greene had been a pastor since before she'd been born, a devout man of god who lived his life by the good book. He'd taught his girls that above all else, two things mattered the most: god and family. It was a lesson they'd accepted as truth, never doubting in their father or the lord for a second.

His current crisis of faith had her worried, and rightly so considering some of the things he'd said back at the diner. She'd offhandedly mentioned that she'd called their machine and they'd received a message that said he wouldn't be replaced as a preacher until they returned home, just in case he changed his mind. He'd quickly informed her that it wasn't an option for him and she had heatedly jumped into accusing him of not believing in god anymore.

To his credit, he'd remained calm, explaining that yes, he believed, he just no longer had love for his creator. Due to his lack of faith, he thought it unfair to his congregation to continue preaching.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice when they pulled into a small motel car park. With one cursory glance, she couldn't help but object. "Are we really stopping here?" she asked incredulously.

Hershel simply levelled her with a stern look. "Ain't nothin' wrong with this place."

She certainly didn't agree, but she wasn't one to argue with her father. She was dimly aware of Maggie piping up with a list of amenities they'd find at a nice place, like a gym or an indoor pool, as she stood to move to the front seat. Her sister's complaining was cut short as her father slammed on the brakes, causing them all to tumble forward a bit.

She looked up from her spot, precariously braced against the glove compartment to see what had caused him to stop short only to be met by the eyes of a fairly scruffy looking man, holding a bag from a restaurant in one hand, a beer bottle in the other as he held it up toward their RV as if to halt them. He stopped walking to stand in front of them, bringing the bottle to his lips as he eyed each of them for a moment.

For some reason, she couldn't look away and nearly gasped as her sister spoke up. "What's this guy's problem?" she asked, sounding particularly offended as she dragged herself up from the floor.

As she watched him walk away, a satisfied smirk on his face, she heard Maggie add "creepy guy", but found that she had to disagree.

* * *

_"This bloody crime spree started just a week ago today. The youngest of the two brothers, Daryl Dixon, was serving time in the United States Penitentiary Atlanta for his part in the 2011 White Plains bank robbery, in which two law enforcement officers lost their lives. It was while at the courthouse that this man, his older brother Merle Dixon, a known armed robber and sex offender, pulled off a daring daylight escape resulting in the death of four Atlanta law enforcement officers and this woman, Heidi Vogle, sixth grade teacher, who was run over by the Dixons during a high-speed pursuit through downtown Atlanta. And, earlier today, during a daylight liquor store robbery in Big Spring, the Dixon brothers killed another Texas ranger, Earl McGraw, and liquor store clerk, Pete Bottoms. That changes the death toll to sixteen: five Texas rangers, eight police officers, three civilians, and one hostage, bank teller and mother of four, Gloria Hill."_

_The blonde reporter's pasted-on smile never faltered once as photographs of the people involved were shown and, eventually, the death toll being displayed across the bottom of the screen, the numbers rolling over to reflect the increase in bodies. Despite the harsh wind whipping around her, her hair stayed perfectly in place as she strode over to speak to, who the lettering at the bottom of the screen identified as, an FBI agent._

_"For the time being, we're very confident that we'll apprehend these fugitives within the next forty-eight hours. The bureau, local law enforcement, and the Texas rangers have all joined in forming a dragnet to snare Daryl and Merle Dixon."_

_"Is it safe to assume that because of the death count involved and the loss of life of law enforcement officers, that the bureau, the rangers, and the police force are taking this manhunt personally?"_

_The man's lip curled in distaste, a sort of feral snarl he was trying to tamp down. "I would say that's a very safe assumption."_

As Daryl walked into the motel room, he felt the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed to his temple. In one swift movement, the bag he'd been holding from Big Kahuna Burger slid onto the table as he ducked his head, his arm coming up to knock the gun away from the hand holding it. "s'just me, dumbass."

Merle's petulant frown faded away as his gaze landed on the meal his brother had procured for them. Taking care to avoid further pain to his injured hand, he sat at the table, digging in.

Hearing their last name float in from the television in the other room, Daryl perked up, raising an eyebrow in interest. "What'd the news have to say?"

Gently using one hand to unwrap his burger and take a bite, he locked eyes on his brother as he chewed, tilting his head. "Gonna apprehend us some time in the next forty-eight hours."

Daryl rolled his eyes and was halfway into a derisive scoff when he realised something was off. His spine straightened as he looked down at his brother. "Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Who?" he echoed incredulously, his stomach sinking as if he already knew the answer. "The hostage. Where is the hostage?" As he spoke slowly, he leaned down into Merle's face, eyeing him for the guilt he was looking to find.

Merle simply jerked a thumb over his shoulder, his face passive. "She's in the bedroom."

Trepidation in every step, Daryl took slow breaths as he walked toward the bedroom, leaning against the doorframe. As soon as his eyes found the bed, he slammed them shut, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Merle, what's wrong with you?"

He opened his eyes to stare blankly at what was left of the bank teller, schooling his features into a calm facade. He could feel his brother standing behind him, a few feet back, admiring his work. "Look, before you flip out, lemme just explain what happened."

While he nodded, he found that he couldn't look away from the woman sprawled across the bed. "Yeah, explain it to me. What is the matter with you?" His naturally lazy tongue disappeared in favour of enunciating each word slowly, trying to stress the importance of the question.

"Nothin' wrong with me, brother," he shrugged, gesturing forward with his food in his good hand. How he could eat while seeing this was beyond him. "She tried to escape and I did what I had to."

Daryl shook his head emphatically even as he could hear his brother's departure. "No. She wouldn'ta said shit." She'd been terrified since they'd set foot into the bank she worked in, there was no way she'd been brave enough to try to stand up to Merle.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong. After you left, she became a completely different person."

"Is it me?" he asked, turning around to look at him. "My fault?" At his brother's protests, he stepped closer to him, voice hardening. "Is this my fault? Do you think that this is what I am?"

Merle had always been more unhinged, dangerous and violent, while Daryl only killed out of necessity. It had never been fun, never brought joy, only regret before he packed it down deep and moved on. Even the job they'd pulled in Abilene when they'd picked her up, he'd chosen to shoot out a cop's gas tank in favour of shooting the cops themselves. "This is not me, I am a professional fucking thief. I don't kill people that I don't have to and I don't fucking rape women."

"What you're doing, ain't how it's done! Do you get that? Understand?" His voice had risen into a near shout, pacing a bit across the small motel room before he advanced upon him, grabbing him by the sides of his face as he backed him into a wall, desperately trying to get his point across. "Say it! Say 'yes Daryl, I understand'."

All the fight in him drained, shaken out of him, and Merle simply looked at him with wide eyes, trying to nod despite the confines of his brother's grip. "I understand." His voice was barely a whisper before he let himself be dragged into an embrace.

As he clung to his brother, the only real family he'd ever had, Daryl gently rocked back and forth, small movements he hoped would soothe him. "When we get to Mexico, it's gonna be sweet rosemary and 100 proof liquor, and rice and beans, and none of this shit's gonna matter."

Soon they'd be safe and rich, living the life they'd fought for for years, and everything would be alright.

* * *

The hot Texan sun warming her skin provided the first real bit of relaxation Beth had felt this whole trip. As soon as they'd walked into the motel room, both girls had gone straight to the bathroom to change into their swimsuits and promptly headed to the pool.

While Maggie splashed around, chatting away to an unhearing Beth, she was content to lay around poolside on one of the lounge chairs, working on her tan. It was a pointless exercise, she knew, while her mother and sister had been blessed with beautifully tanned summer skin, she'd taken after her father, remaining a soft ivory year round.

It wasn't that she was discontent, exactly. Well, no more than usual. It was just that when she thought of the word vacation, she didn't think of driving across the country, trapped in a motor home. She wanted danger, excitement, riding in a convertible with the top down, wind tangling her hair, the radio drowning out the world around her.

"Beth, are you even listening to me?"

She turned her head lazily, the rest of her body refusing to follow, to look over at her sister, leaning on the edge of the pool. "Sorry, what?"

With a great sigh, Maggie placed both hands on the concrete, lifting herself out of the water. "I said we should go check on Daddy."

Sitting up, she grabbed the towel she'd been using as a pillow and tossed it to her sister, standing and stretching. "Yeah, you're right." she agreed as she turned and headed back toward their room.

Maggie caught up quickly, knocking her damp shoulder into Beth's. "Don't worry, when we get to Mexico, we'll leave Daddy asleep in a motel room and head off to one of those cheap little bars," her eyes sparkled with the mere thought of excitement and Beth realised she and her sister were on the same page when it came to their boredom with their trip so far. "get obliterated on tequila, and go sleep it off on a beach somewhere."

As Beth reached out to open the door to their room, Maggie attempting to pat her hair dry, she just barely caught a glimpse of her eyebrows wagging from under the towel when a strong hand wrapped around her bicep, yanking her into the room with a small yelp.


	2. Chapter 2

**My computer was giving me some problems, but I've got a new part in the mail, so regular updates should be along soon. In the meantime, here's a short chapter.**

* * *

The sound of blood rushing filled her ears, terror mingling with a sort of denial and confusion. Maybe these men were just in the wrong room, maybe she and Maggie had tried to walk into theirs accidentally, maybe they were nice young men who needed a preacher.

Things cemented themselves as being absolutely terrible and definitely not a mistake when Maggie began to struggle in the arms caged around her to get to their father only to be slammed backward into the door before she was hoisted up and dragged to sit beside their dad.

Maggie's hysterics and their father's pale, nervous face made it clear to Beth that she'd have to be the brave one. She took a deep breath, tuning into the conversation just in time to hear words meant for her. "Go put some clothes on, blondie." Spinning around quickly, she spotted the same man from the car park, her eyes going wide as he closed his mouth with an audible click. He quickly averted his eyes, mumbling that she had five minutes to get ready.

Grabbing whatever was on the top of her suitcase, she made a beeline for the bathroom, only stopping due to the firm grasp on her arm from the mumbler. He seemed to have gotten his wits back about him, holding her gaze with his own, "If you take one second longer, I will shoot them." He vaguely gestured in their direction with his gun, Maggie whimpering at the sight of it. "Do you believe me?" Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded at him, eyes wide. "Good, go."

Once the door to the bathroom was shut, she took a moment to collect herself. Of course, Beth's idea of collecting herself couldn't really be construed as such.

She threw her clothes blindly to the side, now realising she'd grabbed a pair of cut off shorts and a long sleeve white shirt. They'd landed in the bathtub and all she could think for a second was that shorts and long sleeves didn't go together at all.

She sat down on the closed toilet, her head between her knees as she futilely tried to calm her ragged breaths and pounding heart. She could hear quiet murmuring from the main room, her father blatantly refusing for his girls to go anywhere with them, but it wasn't until Maggie started to scream that she worried. "This is fucking this!" she could hear the younger of the two shouting.

Well, there went that calming feeling she was trying to achieve. She slowly stood up, a curtain of blonde falling over her face as she ducked into the tub for her clothes.

She could do this, she'd be fine, they'd all be fine. She repeated it like a mantra, chanting in her head as she pulled her clothes on, abandoning her bikini in the sink.

Two quick knocks on the door let her know her time was up and she hurriedly stumbled out of the bathroom attempting to put on her boots as she went. Maggie seemed to have chosen to just throw a dress on over top of her bikini, the dampness of her chest a dead giveaway. As she managed to slide her second boot on, she spun around to see the younger of the men push himself away from the wall as he addressed the room at large. "Alright ramblers, let's get ramblin'."

* * *

They had divided themselves up so it'd look less suspicious, their father going first on his own, the older brother - who she'd learned was named Merle - going second with Maggie in tow, leaving Beth and the younger brother to bring up the rear.

There was something about the way Merle had been looking at Maggie that didn't sit right with her, a predatory gaze in his eyes when he watched her. That, out of everything going on, was the only thing that really bothered her.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her suitcase at her feet, as the man peered out of the curtains, waiting for their turn to leave. "What's your name?" he asked without tearing his eyes away from the outside world.

"Beth Greene."

"Well, Beth Greene, I'm Daryl Dixon," he began, tucking his gun into his waistband as he moved over to the bed. "I suppose I don't have to tell you the name of the game."

Running a hand through her long, blonde hair, she sighed. "Considering I heard you shout it four times while I was getting dressed, I'm gonna say it's 'be cool'."

"Very good." He smirked, though whether he was impressed by her sarcasm or simply enjoying himself in their situation, she wasn't sure. He certainly seemed a lot less threatening without the other man around. "Let's go."

Unlike Merle had with her sister, he didn't grab Beth to push or pull her along, he simply opened the door, holding it for her as she passed and staying close to her side as they calmly walked to the RV.

A nice older couple walked toward them and, without giving it a second thought, she was reaching out to grasp Daryl's hand in her own, smiling shyly up at him until they'd been passed.

He simply stared at her, eyebrows raised as he opened the door to the RV. "What? You looked like a guy with a hostage." She shrugged, climbing inside with him nearly pressed against her back in his hurry to get going. Tilting her head back to look up at him, she let half of her mouth curve up into a smirk. "You're welcome."

She settled herself in the back beside Maggie at, what passed for, a kitchen table. Her sister's tears had dried up, but she still looked upset as the Daryl began to speak. She couldn't hear everything he was saying to her father, but she got the gist. The Greenes and the Dixons had the same destination in mind: Mexico.


End file.
